Jets fan taped punching female fan has arrest record

NEW YORK -- The parents of a Jets fan seen in a video punching a female Patriots fan in the face at MetLife Stadium are continuing to come to their son's defense, claiming the woman was the aggressor.

A past mug shot for Kurt Paschke, who allegedly threw a punch at a woman outside a Jets game on Sunday, Oct. 20. Paschke also served time in the stabbing death of a teen in 1995.
/ New York State Department of Corrections via WCBS-TV

The father of 38-year-old Kurt Paschke said his son was defending himself after being attacked by "aggressive Patriot fans."

"He was there with his mother and he was trying to make sure she was OK," Kurt Paschke, Sr. told WCBS New York. "When (he) got grabbed from behind, pulled backwards, he had no idea what was going to happen next."

The video was taken at the stadium during or after the Jets' 30-27 overtime victory on Sunday. In the video, a man wearing a No. 80 Jets jersey, later identified as Paschke, is seen punching a woman in the face. The woman is wearing what appears to be a red and white Patriots shirt.

Paschke's mother Colleen, who witnessed the fight, said the Patriots fans were heckling their group from kickoff and after the game, the tension exploded.

She insists her son was trying to break up the fight.

"He went over to pull them off the guy and girl and that's when they grabbed my son and started punching him," she said. "One guy was holding him while the other guy punched him."

Paschke's father said the Patriots' fans were upset that they lost and "were going to take it out on somebody."

"These were not young ladies who were walking down the street and got attacked by my son," he said. "These people who say 'you never punch a girl' don't know what the hell they're talking about."

He also said the entire incident has been blown out of proportion.

"Because it was caught on video, this has gone ridiculous," he said.

Colleen Paschke said her son is devastated that his love for the Jets has put him in the wrong kind of spotlight.

"He's very upset about this," she said. "He really is a true fan and he was just trying to move on and keep things going. He was not looking to start a fight."

The 38-year-old has a criminal history. In 2011, he was caught serving alcohol to minors while bartending.